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30.12.2022

More dietary fiber, more muscle (and less body fat)

The more dietary fiber you eat on a daily basis, the more muscle mass you probably have and the lower your fat mass is. Is this because dietary fiber increases your sensitivity to insulin? Or is there more going on?

Study
James Frampton, an endocrinologist from Imperial College London, analyzed data from tens of thousands of Americans collected in several rounds between 2011 and 2018 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). All study participants were over the age of forty.

One dataset related to fiber intake and body composition, another to fiber intake and insulin metabolism, and yet another to fiber intake and hand grip strength. In fact, we are talking about three different studies.

Results
As the study participants consumed more fiber, they were lighter, had more muscle, less body fat and stronger bones.

In addition, the study participants with a lot of fiber in their diet were stronger. This is clear from the table below.

The associations persisted after the researchers had brushed away the effect of, among other things, the total energy intake. It was therefore not the case that people who consumed a lot of fiber also ate more, apparently exercised more and therefore had stronger muscles.

Mechanism
The table above provides part of a possible elucidation of a mechanism of action. A high-fiber diet correlated with greater insulin sensitivity. But that, say the British, is certainly not all.

According to epidemiological research, people over fifty have more muscle strength the more dietary fiber they consume. That may be because the short chain fatty acids, which are created when probiotica ferment fibers, stimulate the biosynthesis of mitochondria in older muscle cells.

We have written before about the associations between dietary fiber, pre- and probiotics and anabolism. Links to these posts can be found at the bottom of this page.

Conclusion
"Higher dietary fibre intakes are associated with a lower body mass and an improvement in body composition (characterized by a higher ratio of lean body mass to fat mass) in adults aged 40 years and older", summarize the British.

"Moreover, the improvements in body composition with higher dietary fibre intakes are allied with improvements in glucose homeostasis and skeletal muscle strength."

"Future research should look to evaluate the therapeutic potential of increasing dietary fibre intake (via diet modification and/or supplementation) on skeletal muscle and associated outcomes, with a focus on the preservation of skeletal muscle mass in adults aged 40 years and older."

Source:
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2021 Dec;12(6):2134-44.

More:
More dietary fiber, stronger muscles 06.04.2019
Butyrate protects muscles against aging 02.12.2018
A few grams of galacto-oligosaccharides make your protein shake a better muscle builder 04.10.2018
Probiotics and tiny fatty acids boost IGF-1 levels 18.07.2017

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